Penon OS133 IEM cables

Penon OS133 OFC Silver-plated HiFi Audiophile IEM Cable

Cables in general:
Dsnuts
Quote:
“Cables are a hot topic especially for enthusiasts. The IEM cable market nowadays has seen so many varieties and styles to choose, when it comes to cables. The big debate is do they actually help shape sonic qualities? On one side of the fence the objectivist enthusiasts do not believe in cables making any difference at all. I understand that notion but on the other hand there are people like myself that write cable reviews and talk about their finer qualities and how they affect sound for your earphones. I suppose my review here will help the folks that do like a good sound shaping cable to help with their IEM sonic profile more so than the science guys. My honest take on that is. Believe your own ears”
End quote:

So simply believe your ears. Truly it should not get in the way of hobby enjoyment, simply do what works for you.

The phenomena of Hi-Fi cables is an interesting question. Yes, at times impedance varies with different cable builds. Even the most strict cable non-believers will note this. So they admit that subtle differences are among IEM cables. Still this does not fully answer the question about using many cables and getting a change. Sound perception varies among listeners. It can actually be two fold in that part of it is a learned skill, and part of it may be simple generic sound perception. The learned skill has to do with hearing instruments in real-life and making the comparison to recorded music. Some key attributes in sound can go by un-noticed by the un-schooled/unexperienced. That doesn’t make them wrong, they just haven’t learned to pick out the details that make recorded replay complete or off. They are simply concentrating on other musical aspects.

Like taking two personal views of a city from a mountain top. The farmer will note special things in the city view which the actual city dweller will miss, and vice-versa. Such is perspective. It really gets interesting when a concert trained piano player can’t hear the differences in stereo headphone playback. They know their instrument through and though, they can pick-up the smallest differences in piano playback, but they miss the included or left out segment in actual headphone audio replay. The file bit-rate may sound identical and the two playback stereos may sound identical! Again there is nothing wrong with this, but at times the listener will learn to hear more…….or not.

Such are the questions about cables. Firstly I am not promoting spending $crazy$ amounts of money on cables. In fact the cables in this review cost $39.60 on sale from $99.00. But what about the extreme listener who picks out their cable first to listen to an album, and picks the IEM second? This level of cable believer is on another level. Such a practice doesn’t make him wrong, it’s just what he believes. Science measures cables and they (besides subtle impedance changes) measure the same. Yet the believers find new sonic changes. I myself have not spent more than $160.00 (each) on cables, but it’s only because I believe amplifiers make more difference and I am happy with the changes I perceive with budget cables.




Cable sound character:
Cable changes often run in synchronization by many users all across the world even with variations of equipment. These of course are the believers............but their findings are well before conversing with other cable owners. I will never forget when a friend had some pure silver interconnects and gave them to me to try out. At the time I was a total cable neophyte and was expecting…….well, I didn’t know what to expect. When I tried them the sound was too energetic and confused, so I went back to using my $15 Monster Cables. Later when I returned them, he told me he only used them on the treble amplifier of a multi-amplifier system.



Level One:
I myself find the OS133 offering better separation, to start. There is also a slight expansion of instrument placement over the stock ISN S8 cable that came with the $459.00 ISN EST50 IEM. So we have a broader soundstage with better separation. Still amplifiers do more to influence sound in my opinion. So bringing ether the ISN S8 or the OS133 (with your IEMs) to a different desk-top over a DAP and there will be much more dramatic results. But here we are trying to find a subtle difference with whatever amplifier we are using, and yes, there is a difference. Is that difference worth the price ($39.60) upgrade over the S8?


https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-s8.html?page=2

The ISN S8 is priced at $32.50 but came out way before the OS133. There are truly differences I’m noting. It’s super easy to change out the cables, and I’ve done it numerous times to compare the S8 and OS133 for this review. The other big difference is the treble expansion and instrument detail in those regions. There is a kind of high frequency energy which is spread-out into the soundstage creating a bigger wash of sound with the OS133. Inside that wash is better defined imaging and separation. Stuff just sounds slightly more forward and real, due to it being slightly clearer. There is also a different bass presence in that the bass is more together and rounder due to definition. Still there is also a modification to the bass character, as its tone in warmer, maybe or just different? When dealing with a change of instrument loudness and placement, one instrument can be moved, which in-turn will make other instruments become revealed, yet they themselves are unchanged. But to generalize here, the OS133 is an improvement in accessible natural sound by altering the sound to becoming slightly clearer and spacious. You can kind-of hear more into the stage, like the instruments have become spread apart in both right to left and subtly front to back. Though after time much of those contrasts go away as you adapt and take the sound for granted, the next level is instrument filagree. Meaning due to clarity there are ever so slightly different details which can emerge, which go and show simply that there is more definition to the signal. Simply a difference due to a slight clarity brought on by the OS133 in contrast to the ISN S8. I don’t want to say fog, but it may be going in that direction. Not fog, but subtle haze. I have just returned from doing the EST50 review where I did cable comparisons between the DUNU DUW-03, HanSound ZEN 4 wire and the S8. The S8 and HanSound seemed to be the ones I liked with the EST50, but the differences came from the TA desktop. I’m not going to be the one to say it’s a substantial difference, but a difference is truly there. Like waxing a car, there is still the same car but it’s shinned-up and seems to become more valuable, even though it’s not. There is also the phycological effects of a new cable, such connectors and plugs feel different and are of a different look. Still with all the differences there is a slight improvement in sound. So for $39.60 is the OS133 a substantial improvement of the included S8? Yes, I feel everyone should try it at least.

What’s the point?
It’s Penon’s mission to offer audio-quality at affordable prices. They started as a cable builder and slowly migrated to become an IEM builder and a cable builder. In 2013 they became an on-line retailer of both their own cables and other people’s value-level audiophile equipment. There is still TOTL offerings too, but it’s safe to say there is a range finding something for every budget in mind. Their goal is to provide savings (for people) in a market previously exploited. The end-goal is to innovate and continue to bring products into reality that offer more bang-for-the-buck. There are two or three schools of thought here. One group of IEM listeners are maximizing a single IEM to the hilt by adding the very best cable they can find. Another group is playing with different sound-signatures and may have a collection of IEMs that are optimized for a particular musical genre. And maybe one that’s intermediary, having a few totally expensive IEMs that they will experiment to find the best cable synergy. I don’t have any super expensive cables, but find sonic sculpting with the few that I have. So if someone should drop over $400 dollars on a single cable, I can't reiterate? Common sense tell me it’s a lot like everything else in audio, where there is diminishing returns on dollars spent. The further you go up the food-chain, the less improvement you will notice. Which means you can find a value segment that offers sonic change at an affordable level.

Level Two!
The Sony TA-ZH1ES:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/sony-ta-zh1es.22253/reviews
With all this talk about amplifiers making more difference we will test the S8 against the OS133 using a desk-top. Here sure enough there was found imaging separation differences and staging differences. But by far the bass quality and treble staging differences were of greatest value. The bass seemed to be less dimensionalized, and of softer focus with the S8. The treble was finely more focused becoming just a hair clearer with the OS133. Yet both were totally acceptable and except for those small differences very much the same. The S8 also had a style of lower midrange warmth that the OS133 seemed to look over? It was maybe that warmth that was removed so the OS133 could become more 3D?




Level Three:
The ISN H40:
Now we will try out the OS133 in MMCX mode with the legendary H40. It just so happens the H40 is also provided retail with the S8 cable. So we have the $195.00 ISN H40 with the S8 and the $459.00 ISN EST50 with the S8 cable. The reason ISN uses this cable is due to flexibility and sound quality. In fact it is one of the most luxurious feeling medium build cables I have come across. Also it’s kind-of middle of the road being it does nothing wrong and a whole lot right for $32.50. I like to call it the Toyota Camry of cables. In fact just that it showed such an astonishing resolution in use with the Sony TA-ZH1ES, made it prove itself with gaining cable respect. Here we will start off with the WM1Z and use the included standard ISN H40/S8 and then switch to the WM1Z with the ISN H40/OS133 cable.

The switch to the OS133 from the ISN S8 was instant refinement. Such affects were a bigger soundstage. The imaging was noticeably better. What was surprising is you would think the EST50 would show a more drastic change? But it was the opposite, somehow the ISN H40 really was in need of what the OS133 brought to the table? Here the treble was not only expanded but showed a kind-of tidy-up effect. The silverware was polished for the new guests, so to speak. I’m am surprised as during my H40 review almost two weeks ago, I didn’t have such Penon cables to try. It’s not night and day or anything, it’s just that everything finally adds up. The quality of the song file, the DAP or amplifier, the cable and the monitor and tips..........they all play a part in the final results. Often cables will not go to show a quantifiable improvement and offer a side stance. This results from no single personality change affecting instruments, except that there has been a moving, a repositioning of musical elements inside the soundstage. Also there is always a chance that the listener will find that connection. Such a musical connection can happen with how a cable goes to highlight a particular sound character. These characters are not only tone, but 3D imaging thus realism of playback inside the soundstage. This connection arrives as a kind of recognition of instruments. Where due to realism, the instrument is brought into special focus which results in a style of profound clarity. It’s as if the instrument is somehow closer and of better relief to behold it’s true tonal-timbral character. Such examples of cable improvement are possible…….and that to an extent took place here.






Penon OS133 OFC Silver-plated HiFi Audiophile IEM Cable
Description
OFC silver-plated cable
Black nylon cover
2 shares , single share is 133 cores , a total of 266 cores.
Gold-plated copper + carbon fiber plug accessories
MMCX connector
2Pin 0.78mm connector (positive and negative concave grooves facing outward)
QDC connector (positive and negative L, R characters facing outward)
Length: 1.2m
Plug: gold-plated

Buy it here:
https://penonaudio.com/penon-os133.html

The regular price is $99.00, but they are on-sale now for $39.60.

Conclusion:
We found out today that cables make a difference. How much of a difference depends of the equipment used as well as the listener. Such infinite possibilities (you would think) would add to confusion in the end? When in fact a large community of listeners are all on the same page. Not only are they all in agreement, they are discovering the exact same style of improvement with slightly different equipment. Thus cable personalities can be real sometimes. Such repositioning of elements is subtle at times, other times the subtly adds-up more. At a price of $39.60 the OS133 is a bargain. With free shipping included, it’s a no-brainer. The level of alteration while small is there. Also included is the build-quality and looks! The attention to detail present in the physical world goes along to match the improvement in the sound replay world. I can’t promise you that you will notice differences, but a very large group of members do. In fact they perceive the very changes you just read about here. The nylon cloth cover is an added feature to ward off microphonics. The extra carrying pouch as well as the plastic carrying case means you essentially have two cases. It also comes with a shirt clasp. Still the most important feature (besides sound) is the construction of the MMCX mechanism or 2Pin 0.78mm connector. Such a series of connection designs are not standardized in the mico-audiophile world. That means it’s hit or miss as far as quality and longevity in use. Luckily Penon has been around-the-block. Such a company prides itself on offering the best, being the best.............and making their customers happy. Such small items as the MMCX has been looked after, the shape and size of the 0.78mm 2 pin has been brought up to Penon standards. Penon is not only the retailer, but the manufacture. Such an arraignment means you are buying the equipment wholesale. There is no middle-man. It also means that the manufacture is a long-standing trustworthy entity.

Such dynamics make the purchase of a cable easy. Penon knows that if you have good luck with this gateway purchase that there is a good chance you will return again for something else. In fact there is a whole world of products that have already been designed and manufactured for you. The acquisition of such products comes with arriving at an area of comfortability. Such a feeling of friendship only takes place after trial and error. The manufacture has to prove their quality and worth. What better way to win that trust than with a simple cable. As if Penon can build a simple cable good, don’t you think more expensive items would be looked after too?

Equipment Used:
DUNU DUW 03 2Pin 0.78mm 8 Shares OCC Silver-plated HiFI Audiophile Earphone Cable + 4.4mm
Han Sound Audio Zen 4 Wire OCC Litz Copper Cable Terminated Furutech 2Pin 0.78mm + 4.4mm
ISN S8 Single Crystal Copper Silver Plated Audiophile Cable 2Pin 0.78mm + 4.4mm
ISN S8 Single Crystal Copper Silver Plated Audiophile Cable MMCX + 4.4mm
Penon OS133 OFC Silver-plated HiFi Audiophile Cable 2Pin 0.78mm + 4.4mm
Penon OS133 OFC Silver-plated HiFi Audiophile Cable MMCX + 4.4mm
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB



Disclaimer: The information you are reading is one individuals thoughts and ideas, your personal results may vary.

Disclaimer: I really want to thank Penon Audio for suppling the OS133 in MMCX and 2 pin for review.

Penon OS133

Master craftsman at work. The sound guys at Penon have been at it once again with a new cable offering that much like the rest of their line up serves a purpose but now officially their cheapest branded cable.

So a bit of the price slash and this is the value marketing. If you notice on their recent cable offerings being the Penon PAC480, the new ISN G4 and now the Penon OS133. They have an actual price value they mark the item at. I have some insight into what that is about. Unlike how vendors in the Aliexpress market temporarily mark up their cables and then have a sale that really reflects what the real value of the cables are. Penon is just putting it out there what the actual value of the cables they are selling are at for the RP.

I can see the collective eyes rolling here but here me out. I actually did some online research on comparable cables being sold on the express and lo n behold there is a very popular cable maker on the express that sells a very similar cable to the OS133. Similar make up with comparable materials which goes for $88. So the actual RP value at $100 is not too far fetched. But what you are paying to get a set of these new fandangled cables delivered to your doorstep is a bit under $40?

So if the true value on the cables are actually $100, why would anyone sell it for $40? I mean your cousin at the car dealership will give you a better deal vs that random car salesman right? But Penon is not your cousin. Could be due to the sign of the times. Could be due to fan service.

Truth be told, if whatever item your making does not sell then what good is it? Whatever the case may be, the folks that produce these cables are clearly putting it out there that the sheer value of such cables are in that price range. That would make the new Penon OS133 a great value right?

Lets find out,
First off I would like to thank Penon audio for the OS133 sample. It was provided for the purpose of a review. This is how I perceive the cables and what they do on various in- ears I tried them on. If you find that you would like a nice upgraded cable for your earphones, you can buy a set for you at said discount on their Penon sales page here.

In simple terms if the cable we are talking about is the same material as something that is included with a lot of your earphones, OFC is pretty much standard type copper cable at a bare minimum of cables for the industry. Then how can they be an actual upgrade right? An upgrade on a cable is justifiable for two reasons. If you feel your included cables on your IEMS for whatever the reason may be, just don’t cut it. Most included cables have their limitations, some are better than others of course and just because you're spending a lot on an IEM doesn't necessarily mean the cable that was included optimizes the sound of that particular IEM. Believe me this is more the case than not.

For the most part manufacturers do what they can to provide the best they can for the price point but getting that nice sounding IEM to sound even better is always worth the effort to track down a well matching sonic enhancing cable. Of course the other reason is to maximize the power output and sound of your sources using a balanced cable. If you need a balanced cable to take advantage of the balanced out from your sources. This is how I got into buying up various cables myself.

That was when I realized, cables make much more of a difference than I could have imagined. Case in point the OS133 is one of the more rare thinner designed cables from Penon. The reason why most Penon cables are thicker, OS849 shown here for comparison for example.

Thicker cores/ more shares of material usually adds a thicker wider sound profile to what you’re hearing on your IEMS. The OS133 is one of Penons thinner IEM cables, their thinnest cable being their pure silver Penon Neo cables.

So by that observation does that mean the OS133 brings out a thinner sound profile? Here is where a cable alchemy does not conform to what was once conceived as being the case. I will say it is usually true that thinner cables do not enhance the stage like thicker cables. The OS133 here is an outlier.

During my encounters with many of you who have read my cable reviews. I have come across many folks that have told me they want and like thinner cables vs the bulky 8-16 core type cables. I get it, you're the type that don't want the cable to add any weight to the earphones and want that easier usability with more flexibility. The OS133 is calling your name. You can’t expect the perfect IEM cable at the price range but thinner well designed cables are more rare than thicker ones nowadays.

The cable is made out of a silver plating on OFC or oxygen free copper, consisting of 2 cores, each core using 133 shares of the material then all wrapped up in a tightly knit nylon sleeving.
The all black look is enhanced by the gold plated copper accessories with black carbon fiber that makes the OS133 look premium. The y splitter, chin slider, connector and terminations are taken from Penon’s highest end cables the storm.

Unlike most nylon covered cables, the OS133 is quite flexible and pliable due to it being a thinner lighter cable. One negative of being a thinner cable however is that they are more prone to tangle when wound up using the 3 finger method. This will be the case for any thinner cable not just the OS133. But not a big deal to be honest. Just be careful unwinding your cable and earphone when using it and you're golden. The gold plated copper accessories end up being heavier than the cable itself and the looks of them with a black and gold motif is nice nonetheless.

The OS133 cable does not scream to you or me, high end. After all, I have numerous cables that come packed with an earphone that uses very similar materials. However, that is really about the only similarities you will notice. On paper it is the same stuff but when you actually use the OS133. That is when you will notice what the OS133s are all about.

These have the one aspect going for them that are clearly evident of more higher end cables. That is the idea of expanding your sound. Going from the stock cables that come with the IEMs I tested them on. ISN H50, ISN EST50, Reecho SG-01 OVA, Yanin Canon and the NF audio NE4 with the OS133. It was consistent across the board, there is a difference I noticed especially for sound stage aspects for each of the earphones I tested them with. How can that be? These don’t show the expansiveness of pure silver or cables that are included with much higher end IEMS but if you compare them to most earphone cables that come packed with budget and midfi level IEMs. This expansion of sound seems to be what these cables are about.

The cables influence tonal qualities that lean it toward copper in how they help produce sound. Natural, slightly smoother and warmer in how it influences the sound supporting the dynamic aspect of your earphones, meaning bass and mids especially will be full on and enhanced. The silver plating is always helpful for the cable to be more transparent. Based on my prior findings of how the stage expands with a thicker cable. Call me completely surprised, these act like they are thicker cables but only use 2 thinner cores.

The OS133 does not enhance treble and details like a pure silver cable, but at the same time does not take away any detail here either. It doesn’t smooth out trebles and or thicken the sound quite like a pure copper cable but that stage enhancing ability is noticeable. The cable gives a very natural balanced tonal quality across the sound spectrum of the earphones they are attached to, plus adds that stage enhancement element. Greater width, better depth of sound, more air around instruments and set pieces you're listening to. Due to that stage enhancing ability vocals and instruments sound more rangy giving your earphones an injection of dynamism. Bass emphasis is full on, mids showing more space with a clean treble delivery.

Your earphones will sound like your earphones but now with a greater spacious sound. This whole stage and space enhancing ability is usually the effects from much higher end cables but to get that in a sub $40 set was unexpected. Again it is not to the degree of something like Penons own Totem or Mix cable but sound clearly opens up and expands using this cable.

Sometimes we want a cable to not change the sound qualities in our earphones. But extra space and a roomier stage? Who doesn’t want that? I noticed when using the OS133 on various IEMs they add a slightly weightier tonal character to your IEMs meaning the copper element is where the OS133 seems to lean more on. The ISN H50 for example going back and forth from their stock cable the ISN S8. The sound immediately gets greater note weight with a more spacious and deeper sound.

And it wasn’t due to going from single ended to balanced. It was a head to head comparison connecting the housings to the cables in balanced using the same set of symbio W tips. This testing method was done over and over again with each earphone I tried them on and it was consistent every time. I noticed these cables are fairly comparable to the included cable that comes with the Yanyin Canons. But once again shows a slight widening of stage. NE4 sounds absolutely superb using these cables and there is really no comparison to how their cheaper included SPC cable does in comparison.

Another aspect I noticed was that these don't emit cord noise as much as some other nylon covered cables I own. I was always under the assumption that nylon covered cables will emit more sound than standard PVC covered cables. It is not exactly dead silent but it is much more acceptable vs your standard nylon covered cable. The wires are obviously more flexible due to utilizing less cores and of course has a thinner profile than most standard IEM cables.

Overall
The OS133 is a great little cable, It doesn’t neuter any of your sound details and traits of your earphone if anything it will enhance them adding a moderate stage and space element. They enhance a natural tonal character, supporting a bit more the bass and mids qualities with a clean treble. The OS133 is a superb tool like a clean window to view your sound, especially in balanced form. Earphones with a bit leaner mid range and bass will do well with the OS133. Earphones needing a bit of stage and space enhancement will do well with the OS133. It is very versatile in how they work. The material and workmanship is of a high quality and not to mention will enhance any earphone they are attached to. Penon got another winner of a cable here especially if you take a premium to thinner style good looking cables. Thanks for taking the time to read.